You know what this book was? Cute, cute, and more cute. It was silly, fun, adorable, and happy. It was 288 pages of lightness.

The Format: This book was written in an interview format, so basically the book was Avery's final history paper. I love reading books in unique formats. It's fun to mix it up. Also, I loved all the sarcastic comments and Editor's Notes that came along with each person's perspective.

The Cuteness: So Avery is a mega-popular girl who gets dumped right before prom. To me, that's really no big deal, but I to someone like Avery-- it's something she's been looking forward to for years. To her this is supposed to be one of the most important memory moments of her life. Even though we have differing views on what is an "important moment", I liked Avery. She wasn't the stereotypical mean girl or the dumb blonde. She was smart and nice. She wasn't conceited, she cared about people, and she had a kick-ass BFF. Coco was one of my favorite parts of this book. She quoted JFK constantly and always had her bestie's back.

I loved that this was a positive book. It was Avery looking back on her failed love-life and she didn't have a bad thing to say about any of the dudes. I give her credit for that, because I DEFINITELY can't say the same.

The 2 Things: As much as I loved reading this super-fun book, there were 2 things I would change. 1st-- the ending. I could see it coming by page 30. I still LIKED the ending, but I wish it would've happened in a less Captain Obvious way.

The other thing is that I was wishing for less G-ratedness. When I read YA, I expect a little bit of edginess. Not over-the-top stuff, but this girl had 15 or so boyfriends and everything there was nicey-nice, nothingness. She had a few serious boyfriends, and I would expect that some of those would progress beyond kissing (not that I need every detail, but teens are doing more than kissing), and I would expect some of those to have deeper issues than-- he said I love you and I didn't say it back.

I could never hate on this book though. It would be like kicking a puppy. It's adorable and fun-- totally do-able for Middle Grade readers, but also fun entertainment for older teens.

OVERALL: Loved this lightness and cuteness of this book. Avery was popular and NOT a mean girl-- crazy isn't it?? I loved the format and the characters. Lightness is needed, but I was wishing for a tad more edge or drama-- or maybe just a little less sweetness. It's definitely a book that will give you a toothache.

My Blog:

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3.5 Stars ( )

"Because I was realizing that maybe what mattered wasn't whether you were in a relationship or not. What mattered was that you could still be yourself in that relationship."

What a fun book. [b:It's Not Me, It's You|28113227|It's Not Me, It's You|Stephanie Kate Strohm|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1460134071s/28113227.jpg|48121879] is one of the funniest books I’ve read in awhile. The characters are bubbly and the high school drama is entertaining. It’s really a perfect summer book.

Things I Liked:
I really loved the narration style in this story. It’s written as an oral history report, and reads as very conversational. I loved the little editor's notes we get throughout the story. I felt like they really showed some personality for Avery, Coco, and Hutch. The narration reminded me of the Mean Girls when the other students are asked about Regina George or a Zack Morris in Saved By the Bell style narration. It was just so easy to read and flowed really well.

This book is so funny. I actually laughed out loud multiple times. The characters, the situations, the interactions are all enriched with a lively humor. This is a entertaining look at high school drama from mean girls to cliques and dating.

All of the characters felt very distinct, which was impressive in this format. They were all realistic and reminded me of people from high school, even if they were exaggerated a bit. I loved that Avery wasn’t just a boy-obsessed ditzy blond character and that she was more on a quest of self discovery and reflection than about boys.

Things I Didn’t Like:
Despite having such a great time reading this, it was way too easy to stop in the middle of a chapter and do something else. It was so easy to come in and out of the story that I found myself stuck in the middle of a chapter for an hour while I was distracted online or by tv. It’s not a really gripping story, but it definitely is a fun one that is easy to read.

This was such a great reading experience for me and I definitely recommend it. You are guaranteed a fun and fluffy story filled with great characters and a lot of laughs! ( )

I choose the book because I enjoyed the other books Stephanie Kate Strohm wrote. I think this was her first released hardcover as the other books were released only in paperback. Avery Dennis has been dumped just days before her senior prom. Avery has never been without a boyfriend and decides this is the perfect time to find herself. She also wants to figure out why none of her many relationships have lasted. Avery is considered one of the popular girls. She is cute, athletic and smart. She takes her studies seriously and it’s one of the things the other popular girls make fun of her for. She’s had the same science lab partner for years and they are at the top of their class. Avery has an oral history project due before graduation, so she decides to explore why her past relationships have failed. Her teacher tells her this is not the intent of the oral history project, but Avery sets out to prove her wrong. This is a romantic comedy and has a happy ending.

This book may actually seem pretty fluffy on the outside, but any historian will see the components of writing up an oral history and setting out to interview your primary sources. The author also sets up sort of a historiography. The topic of finding out why your relationships don’t work out is fun and funny, but I really think the underlying methodology would help some readers see that history can be fun. Readers will also enjoy the romance and the jokes throughout the story. The story may be difficult for some readers to follow as it is written in an interview format, with varying perspectives. But it will be no problem for stronger readers. There is also some diversity among the characters. One review labeled it as stereotypical, but I don’t agree with that. I think it reflects the diversity in many high schools today.

I enjoyed this book. It is a fun, quick read in terms of the content. But it could be used by a history teacher to illustrate that oral histories can be fun and not all topics have to be super serious. The example in the book may not be ideal for a school project, but a reader could transfer their new found knowledge to a more history content oriented topic. I would recommend it as a purchase for a high school library. I would do a readers’ advisory recommendation to a not super serious history buff or a student looking for a romantic comedy. ( )